Bar-Ilan University

About: Bar-Ilan University is a education organization based out in Ramat Gan, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 12835 authors who have published 34964 publications receiving 995648 citations. The organization is also known as: Bar Ilan University & BIU.

Thermotaxis of mammalian sperm cells: A potential navigation mechanism in the female genital tract

Abstract: Thermotaxis of mammalian sperm cells: A potential navigation mechanism in the female genital tract

A review on the problems of the solid state ions diffusion in cathodes for rechargeable Mg batteries

Abstract: This work summarizes the results of our studies devoted to Mg ions mobility in Chevrel phases (CPs), MxMo6T8 (M – metal, T = S, Se) and presents our vision of the problem of multivalent ions’ diffusion in intercalation compounds. A simplified analysis of the main factors, which affect the activation energy barriers, as well as experimental data of Mg ions insertion into different hosts, show that low Mg ions mobility in common transition metal oxides or sulfides cannot be explained only by strong ionic interactions, but it is rather caused by a hard redistribution of the bivalent cations charge in inorganic materials. In contrast to these hosts, CPs allow for a high mobility of multivalent cations, because their unusual crystal structure with octahedral Mo6-clusters enables a fast and efficient attainment of local electro-neutrality upon insertion of cations of high charge density. Analysis of diffusion pathways based on the detailed structural determinations sheds light on important aspects of the electrochemical behavior of CPs, such as partial Mg ions trapping in the course of reversible Mg insertion and the ways to avoid it.

Antioxidant activity of the polysaccharide of the red microalga Porphyridium sp

Abstract: The cells of the red microalga Porphyridium UTEX 637 are encapsulated within a sulfated polysaccharide whose external part (i.e., the soluble fraction) dissolves into the medium. It is thought that the main function of the polysaccharide is to protect the algal cells from the extreme environmental conditions, such as drought and high light, prevailing in their native sea-sand habitat. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant properties of the water-soluble polysaccharide of Porphyridium sp. by determining the ability of a polysaccharide solution to inhibit: (1) autooxidation of linoleic acid, as determined by the standard thiobarbituric acid (TBA) and ferrous oxidation (FOX) assays; and (2) oxidative damage to 3T3 cells as determined by the dichlorofluorescein (DCFH) assay. In all three assays, the polysaccharide inhibited oxidative damage in a dose-dependent manner. Antioxidant activity was also exhibited by fractions of the polysaccharide obtained by sonication followed by separation on a reverse-phase HPLC with a C8 semi-preparative column. It is suggested that the antioxidant activity of the sulfated polysaccharide protects the alga against reactive oxygen species produced under high solar irradiation, possibly by scavenging the free radicals produced in the cell under stress conditions and transporting them from the cell to the medium.